I Do
by Zesty Bod
Summary: When Bonnie and Damon interact at Alaric's wedding, even Elena can't deny the chemistry between them. Set after 6x17. One-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**So I'm trying something a little different this time. This story is from Elena's POV, but I think you will enjoy it and see why I made that decision. This is a one-shot, but I maaaaay be convinced to do a sequel.**

I love weddings. I always have. I was never the type to dream about my wedding as a little girl, but I always appreciated the beauty of two people coming together and celebrating their love. So despite all the drama going on with our lives, I'm excited for Alaric's wedding, if for no other reason than having an excuse to dress up. I stand in the mirror and give myself a look-over, appreciating the cute bridesmaid dress that Jo picked for me. It's an emerald one shoulder stretch satin short dress, which I love because it accentuates my long legs. I'm sure Damon will love it, too.

I smile at the reflection over my shoulder, where said boyfriend is standing and smirking. I spin around and take him in. God, can he wear a suit. It's tailored to fit just so along his slim body and the skinny green tie that matches the color of my dress is the perfect touch.

"You clean up nice," he says as he pushes himself off the door frame.

"And you look devastatingly hot," I gush.

He half-grins and shrugs. "This old thing?"

He wraps his arms around my waist and I wrap my arms around his neck. I pull him in for a few kisses, which he happily returns. When I try to get a little frisky, though, he groans and pulls away.

"Elena," he says in that warning tone. "We have to get going or we'll be late."

"We're vampires," I say as I kiss along his jaw. "We'll have a quickie and then run there."

Damon chuckles and takes control of my wrists to pull me away. "What kind of best man would I be if I weren't there early to calm Ric's nerves? And you need to be there to help Jo. Make sure she's not barfing all over everything."

"You're such a romantic, Damon."

"It's why you love me." He offers his arm to me and nods his head towards the door. "Shall we?"

"We shall."

I loop my arm in his, feeling giddy and silly about how ridiculously happy I am when I'm with Damon. I know I can't remember all our times together but if I felt half as strongly then as I do now, I don't even need them to know that I'm crazy about him. We walk out together, arm in arm, to his Camaro and then we speed to the chapel where our friends are getting married. We share a kiss before we split up: Damon to Ric and me to Jo. I find her in the bride's room, touching up her makeup and sharing a cry with Liv.

"Jo, you look gorgeous," I say.

"Thanks, Elena. I hope you're not just saying that because I'm a blubbering pregnant mess."

The three of us laugh and I help Jo make sure everything is in place. When it's time for the ceremony to begin, I wish her good luck and allow the wedding coordinator to escort me to the front of the chapel. The front doors are closed but I can hear piano music from inside. The wedding planner hands me a bouquet of lilies, then ushers me inside. The aisle is covered in flowers, and the rows of pews on either side of the aisle are filled with people, some from Mystic Falls and some from Whitmore.

Everyone stands as I walk in, and for a fleeting moment, I imagine it's me walking down the aisle to get married. I smile at people as I walk, then my eyes catch Damon, who is already standing near the altar with Ric. He smiles at me, and my chest warms. In that second, all I can think about is the two of us getting married.

Damon keeps his eyes on me as I take my place opposite him and Ric and wait for Jo's grand entrance. "Here Comes the Bride" begins and everyone's attention turns to Jo. She's an absolute vision in white and the small baby bump she's rocking only adds to her beauty. Liv escorts her down the aisle and I can't pry the grin off my face because I'm so happy for her. I scoot back so she and Liv can take their spots, and when everyone sits down, the officiant begins to talk.

My eyes again float to Damon, wondering if he's feeling the same tingle in his chest that I am. I try to get his attention, but I see that he's looking at someone else in the crowd. His smile is still on his face but it's different. It's softer, not so Damon-y. I follow his gaze and my eyes land on Bonnie, who's sitting a few rows back on the end. I can't see much of her dress, but I can tell that her hair is perfect and so is her makeup. She looks completely gorgeous. I try to fight off the tiny feeling of insecurity that maybe she looks better than I do, but it's really hard to do when I see Damon wink at her and her response is an almost bashful, very un-Bonnie-like smile.

I can't stop the jealousy that creeps up my spine.

I've noticed how different they are together than before. Of course, I don't remember all of before so maybe they were closer than I think, but still. They didn't have secrets like they do now. They didn't lean on each other like they do now. And they definitely didn't _look_ at each other like that and wink and smile.

I immediately seek out Jeremy in the crowd and once I spot him somewhere near the back, I resolve to make sure that he and Bonnie are back together by the end of the day. You know, just in case.

The ceremony goes on but I barely hear any of it because I'm too busy scheming about how I can get my best friend and brother in each other's good graces again. After Ric and Jo are pronounced man and wife and we all get together for pictures, I keep an eye out and I see that Jeremy has spotted Bonnie. I escape from the pictures just in time to get to Bonnie before he does.

"Hey, Bon," I say. "You look fantastic." And she does. As if her hair and makeup weren't flawless enough, the light purple short strapless chiffon dress she's wearing looks like it was made for her. It's feminine and sexy without being slutty. Bonnie's always been able to walk that line easily.

"Hey, thanks," she says with a big grin. "The ceremony was beautiful, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, kinda makes you think about getting married yourself, huh?"

"Yeah," she sighs with a kind of faraway look. I know it's crazy but I can't help wondering if the person she's envisioning is Damon. I'm officially paranoid.

"Bonnie," Jeremy says as he finally reaches us. Bonnie twirls around and they see each other for the first time in nearly a year. I'm nervous that maybe they will fight; Jeremy is still mad that she left without a proper goodbye and I'm pretty sure Bonnie knows that he wasn't exactly faithful while she was gone. But my fears are eased when Jeremy smiles and gets that googly-eyed look he always gets when it comes to Bonnie, and I know that at least _he's_ still in love with _her_.

"Jeremy," she says softly, with a sweet smile. "It's good to see you."

"You look..." He eyes her from head to toe and I would think it's sexy if he wasn't my brother. "Freaking amazing."

She chuckles and shrugs. "Thanks. It's nice to dress up for a change."

He nods and there is an awkward silence, where none of us knows what to say. Then Jeremy nervously holds his arms out and asks, "can I hug you?"

Just like that, the awkwardness melts away and Bonnie looks touched.

"Of course you can."

She walks into his embrace and they both close their eyes as they hug tightly. I can't stop the grin on my face. Any doubt that they will find their way back to each other is gone right then, and I slip away to give them time to reunite. I'm walking back to Jo and Ric, who are still taking pictures outside of the chapel, and I see Damon leaning against one of the pillars and frowning like he smells farts.

"Hey, what's up with you?" I ask.

He gestures his head in the direction of Bonnie and Jeremy and asks, "what's up with _them_?"

It irks me that he cares, but I don't let him know that. I take his hand and intertwine our fingers.

"They're just reuniting."

"They're not getting back together, are they?" he asks, his nose turned up at the prospect.

My irritation flares and I snap with, "and so what if they are?"

Damon clenches his jaw and humphs, but doesn't say anything else. I manage to keep him away from them while everyone is still at the chapel, then the wedding coordinator directs us to head to the Lockwood mansion, where the reception is being held. Damon and I get into his car, and he frowns the whole way there. I think about calling him on it, asking him why the hell he is upset about Bonnie and Jeremy, but I don't want to draw attention to it or make it a bigger deal. Today is supposed to be about fun and love and I'm not going to let his sour mood bring us down.

Once we get to the mansion, the party is already going. People who hadn't been invited to the ceremony are already eating from the impressive buffet line and the tent set up on the massive lawn is already crowded with people dancing. There's a DJ blasting music loud enough for everyone in Mystic Falls to hear, and the atmosphere is so festive that even Damon shakes his grumpiness. He swipes some champagne from a waiter passing by and he hands me one.

"To a good time," he says.

"Cheers."

We clink glasses and I'm happy that he sticks by my side, at least until about an hour later when Bonnie appears. Damon and I are in the middle of a conversation, sitting at one the tables set up on the lawn, when Bonnie steps outside. It's like he has some kind of radar because his head immediately whips to her. I know I'm not imagining the way his eyes travel down her body and back up again, and his scowl returns when Jeremy appears right behind her. I swear that Bonnie can feel his staring because she turns and sees us and heads our way, reaching her hand back to bring Jeremy with her.

"Hey guys," she says cheerily.

"Hey yourself," Damon says, frowning slightly less than before. "I see you found little Gilly."

"Nice to see you, too, Damon," Jeremy says with an eye roll.

"Why don't you guys sit down?" I offer.

Jeremy pulls out a chair for Bonnie, and as the four of us sit at the small table, I feel like we are in some kind of bizarre love square and I'm the only one who notices.

"So when did you blow back into town, Jeremy?" Damon asks, sipping on the bourbon that ordered from the bar.

"Last night. I was thinking about not coming, but when I heard that Bonnie would be here, I decided to make the trip."

Jeremy gives Bonnie the big doe eyes, and she blushes slightly and looks down. Damon glares at Jeremy and looks like he might reach over the table and strangle him.

"So you're getting back together or what?" he asks.

Bonnie's head snaps up and she narrows her eyes at him. "That's a rude question," she says.

"I'm a rude person," he says with a shrug.

She cocks her head to the side and examines him and it seems like they have some kind of silent conversation going on because after a few seconds of that look, Damon sighs and mumbles a very insincere apology, then excuses himself to get more drinks.

"He's still a dick, I see," Jeremy says. "And he's being really protective of you," he says to Bonnie.

She waves her hand like it's nothing. "Tell me what you've been up to."

They talk about art school and Bonnie's return, and I listen only enough to convince myself that they do still have that vibe with each other. I pull out my phone to distract myself, but we are all interrupted when Damon slides four shots of bourbon along the table.

"On me," he says with a smile.

"What is this for?" Bonnie asks.

"Well, duh, witchy, this is a party and the objective is to get drunk."

"The objective is to have fun and celebrate our friends," she corrects.

"Didn't you just come back from the dead? I would think you'd want to live a little and get that stick out of your ass," he says.

Bonnie's nostrils flare and he smirks, and a challenge has been laid down. Without warning, Bonnie throws her shot back, then takes Jeremy's and drinks it too. Damon is grinning like an idiot when she wipes her mouth off and grimaces a little.

"Doesn't go down quite as smooth as my stuff, does it?" Damon asks, and I know for _sure_ that I'm not the only one who catches a double meaning there because Jeremy wrinkles his nose.

"I'm a big girl. I can handle it," she says, and her voice sounds eerily flirtatious. She winks at Damon, and then turns to Jeremy and asks, "wanna dance?"

Jeremy follows like an obedient puppy and I turn to Damon, who is staring at them so hard that I think fire might come out of his eyes.

"So...you and Bonnie," I say, unsure of whether I should lay my thoughts on the table or not. "You guys are different."

"She's an annoying little witch," he says he drinks his shot. But there's no malice in his insult. In fact, it sounds downright affectionate. I am seriously about to throw my drink on him and leave, when he smiles at me and asks, "shall we, my lady?"

He offers his arm and gestures to the dance floor, and I know I shouldn't be so easy but I am. He can turn on the charm so quickly and I'm putty in his hands. I forget all my insecurities and take his arm. He leads me to the dance floor under the big white tent, where it's packed with people and music is playing loudly. He pulls me to his chest and smirks and gives me his undivided attention. It feels so nice that I don't even remember thinking that he might crushing on Bonnie.

At least an hour passes and we're still dancing and talking and having a great time. We take a short break and I notice Bonnie and Jeremy in the crowd. Jeremy's saying something in her ear and she throws her head back and laughs in a way that I haven't seen in a long time. My heart warms seeing her so happy. I know I've caused her a lot of pain and I'm genuinely pleased to see her letting loose for once.

"Bonnie looks happy," I say to Damon. "I'm glad. She deserves to have a good time."

Damon's eyes drift to her and he gets this look on his face that I think I've only seen a handful of times. There's a softness in his usually cold blue eyes and he says, "she deserves everything."

I don't know how to process that, but I don't have time to think about it because just as we're speaking of her, Bonnie looks our way. She waves at me, then smiles at Damon. He mouths to her "you owe me a dance." I know it's way too loud for her to hear him, but she nods anyway and crooks her finger for us to come over. I hesitate because I'm not too keen on the idea of the two of them dancing together, but Damon takes my hand and we walk to them. I'm relieved when we don't switch partners; we just hover in their atmosphere for a few songs until one song comes on and Bonnie and Damon snap their heads to each other. Bonnie breaks into a full-on grin and she says a quick "sorry" to Jeremy and grabs Damon's arm.

"It's our song!" she shouts over the music.

I furrow my eyebrows and ask Damon, "you two have a song?"

"Long story," he says as he waves his hand.

But Bonnie is bursting at the seams to tell me the backstory. "I caught Damon dancing to this in the kitchen!" She laughs and I can tell that she's probably consumed a few more drinks. She's more carefree than usual, her smile is permanent and she's swaying to the beat that I now recognize as some Salt-N-Pepa song.

"If you'll excuse me," Damon says to me, "I've got to dance with Bon-Bon."

I don't get the chance to voice my disapproval before he lets me go and holds his hands out for Bonnie, who takes them eagerly. Jeremy looks as confused as I feel and we watch as the two of them kind of circle each other, taking turns saying the lyrics of the song, starting with Damon.

"I wanna take a minute or two, and give much respect due, to the man that's made a difference in my world."

"And although most men are hos, he flows on the down low cuz I never heard about him with another girl," Bonnie says.

They go back and forth with the words, not really dancing but just singing to each other and laughing. I want to be mad but I have to admit that they are kind of cute. Almost like brother and sister. I convince myself that their closeness is sibling-like and my uneasiness from before melts away. I can appreciate how silly they are together and I'm strangely happy for them. I even bounce along and clap, determined not to be irritated when Damon boops Bonnie's nose and says, "you so crazy," and they both stop and say, "I think I wanna have your baby."

Damon does his stupid little two-step shuffle that he always does, and I smile when he turns around and backs his butt into Bonnie and attempts to twerk. Bonnie is laughing really hard, begging him to stop "putting his bony ass" on her. He finally gives up and then turns and holds his hands out, as if to tell her it's her turn. She shakes her head and waves her hands, but he grabs those hands and spins her until her back is pressed to his front. Even over the music, my vampire hearing picks up on him saying, "come on, Bon-Bon. Show me what you got."

It is at this moment that I begin to panic. I imagine that Damon doesn't know how good a dancer Bonnie is. After all, she's always the responsible one and rarely has the chance to let it all hang out. But the truth is that the girl can get down. And when she's had a few drinks in her, the moves become uninhibited. I've known many a boy that were left with an uncomfortable situation after dancing with Bonnie. The thought of that happening with Damon sends ice water through my veins.

"You can't handle me," Bonnie warns him, even though she is swaying in his arms.

"Put it on me, judgey," he whispers in her ear.

I want to stop it, but my rational side is telling me not to make it a bigger deal than it is. It's just Bonnie and Damon, dancing. Bonnie needs to have a good time. I can't ruin it.

Still, it's hard to restrain myself when Bonnie finally gives in to Damon's goading and she methodically rotates her hips in time with the beat, pressing her butt directly into his crotch. Damon follows her lead as she gets him into her rhythm. At first, that's all they do. But then she surprises him (and me) by slowly slinking her body down as far as her short dress will allow her, then coming back up and turning her ass into a weapon that no man can withstand. I hear an "umph" from Damon and he gets a tight grip on her waist, holding on so she doesn't knock him over with the sheer force of her behind. Their silly mood evaporates and he gets a serious look on his face when she reaches back and threads her fingers into his hair and continues to grind on him.

"Am I the only one wondering what the hell is going on here?" Jeremy asks.

I'm so mad, I can't even respond. I'm seeing red as Bonnie keeps working her magic on Damon, and he looks like he's enjoying it way too much. I try to console myself by realizing that it can't get worse.

And then, of course, Damon makes it worse.

When he's had enough of Bonnie putting it on him, he stops her movements and turns her around. He pulls her to him so that her front is crushed against his, and then he reaches down and grabs one of her legs. He lifts that leg up to his waist, holding it there and squeezing her thigh. He swirls his hips into her so that their lower halves are grinding as close as they can possibly get. They stare at each other in a way that is absolutely _not_ brotherly or sisterly and I wonder if they even hear the music anymore.

I want to scream or yell or stomp off but I'm so shocked by what I'm seeing that I'm rooted to the ground. The two of them used to to _hate_ each other, and now they're basically screwing on the dance floor. In front of me and Jeremy.

It seems as though the song will never end, and when it finally does, Damon slowly releases his grip on Bonnie's thigh and she drags it down his leg until her foot is on the ground again. He says something that I don't catch, and Bonnie smiles. I can tell from the blush in her face that she's turned on, and from the redness at the tip of his ears, so is he. He nuzzles her neck and says something else, and for a brief second, her eyes flutter shut and she rubs her cheek on his. They are incredibly slow to separate, and when they do, Damon kisses the inside of her palm and she looks at him in a way that I've only seen her look at one other person: Jeremy.

Then I realize something that I haven't before.

My best friend and my boyfriend have feelings for each other.

And I have no idea what to do about that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Your lovely words and reviews turned this into a two-parter. And yes, I brought Jesse back. He was too fine not to.**

Chapter 2 - Bonnie

Things have been different since the wedding.

I could pretend not to know why and how they are different, but I've always prided myself on being the type of girl that's aware of her own feelings. As crazy as it is, the fact is that I have feelings for Damon. I can admit that in the safety of my own head.

I know that I developed a little crush on him while we were stuck in the prison world. At the time, I assumed it was temporary and borne out of desperation. After all, he was (as far as I knew) the only male in existence and I was either going to end up killing him or falling for him. Unfortunately, it was the latter. Even after he was gone and I was missing him, I chalked it up to loneliness and told myself that my feelings would die down once I was back in the real world. They didn't. That first night that I saw him and jumped into his arms, it took everything in me not to kiss him and hold on forever.

We fell into our comfortable patterns and I tried to keep a lid on my heart. I should have known better than to get drunk and dance with him at that damn wedding. Having him so close to me, receiving every bit of his attention, feeling him, smelling him...it was all too much. All my efforts not to like him died right there on the dance floor and since then, I haven't been sure what to do about the situation.

Obviously, I won't tell him that I love him. That would be ridiculous and embarrassing. I'll go to my grave with this and just hope for another love interest to come along soon.

Elena knows, though. She hasn't said anything, of course, but I can tell by the way she kind of throws their relationship into my face. It's never anything outright or rude, but it's there when she comes back to the dorm after a long weekend with Damon, looking thoroughly fucked, for lack of a better term. It's there when he calls her and she gets all giggly on the phone, talking just loud enough that I can hear her over the music playing in my headphones. It's there when he calls _me_, and she tries to act like she doesn't care but I can feel her eyes boring holes into the back of my head.

She's marking her territory and I can't say that I blame her. It's weird, I guess. Knowing that your friend likes your boyfriend. In all other respects, Elena and I are getting along fine. We still stay up late and talk, eat together, and gossip like we used to. But we don't talk about Damon.

Ever.

We do talk about Caroline a lot, though. We are talking about her as we walk to class in the science building: Elena for physics and me for anthropology. Elena's classroom comes up first and I'm standing at the door with her when it swings open and I nearly get my face broken in half. I jump back just in time to see one of the most gorgeous men I have ever laid eyes on. He's tall and slim, with a light brown complexion and eyes that would give Damon's a run for their money. His nose and lips are perfect, and his chin is covered in trimmed facial hair with flecks of blonde and red.

"I am so sorry," he says, holding out his hands for me. "I didn't even see you. Are you okay?"

I think I'm momentarily speechless. I wasn't aware that men this fine actually walk among us. I thought his type only lived in Hollywood and New York, gracing runways with their beauty.

"Uh, yeah," I finally say.

My eyes flitter to Elena, who looks so happy that she could burst.

"Jesse, this is Bonnie," she says to the god whose name is apparently Jesse.  
He smiles, revealing brilliant white teeth and it's just not fair that he's this good-looking.

"Bonnie," he says, his voice making my name sound way sexier than it is. He extends his hand and when I take it, he places his other hand on mine. I can tell immediately that he is a vampire, but I don't even care. "Are you Elena's friend?"

"_Best_ friend," Elena says, grinning. She's too happy, honestly.

"Elena must have the market on incredibly beautiful friends," he says.

At this, I frown. "Huh?"

"Jesse very briefly had a little thing with Caroline," Elena says, shrugging it off quickly.

"Oh, great. Another hot guy that was into my friends first," I say.

"Is that a deal-breaker?" Jesse asks.

"No more than you being a vampire," I say dryly.

His lovely eyebrows hike up in surprise, but then he smiles again. "So I only have two strikes, then. Maybe if you give me your number, I could convince you that I'm not so bad?"

My first reaction is to hesitate. It's just my nature to be cautious. Even though Jesse looks like he was handcrafted from the most perfect mold of humanity, I don't know him. And he's a vampire. And he's probably banged Caroline.

Elena can see the indecision on my face and she turns to Jesse and asks, "I have your number. Why don't I give it to Bonnie and if she's interested, she'll call you?"

He smile droops slightly but he nods and slowly releases my hand. "I hope to hear from you, Bonnie." He goes into the classroom and then Elena turns to me and silently squeals. She fans herself dramatically, which makes me laugh, and then she disappears inside.

I can't help but think about Jesse during my class. It's nice to get some attention from a new person, and I resolve then that I will call him. I don't see Elena again until that night, after our classes and various labs and activities. I'm on the bed, reading for my English class, when she bounds into the room and immediately jumps on my bed.

"Hey!" I say, swatting her with a pillow.

"Soooo, are you gonna call Jesse?"

"Yeah."

Her brown eyes nearly bug out of her head. "When?!"

"I don't know. Tomorrow, probably."

"Tomorrow? But that's so long."

"I don't want to seem desperate."

"You won't seem desperate if you just call to say hello. The whole day's gone by. You'll seem _interested_. Nothing wrong with that." She takes my phone, puts his number in it and then hands it to me. "I'll be in the shower, in case you need some...private...time." She wiggles her eyebrows, earning another pillow smash to the face. She laughs and bounces to the bathroom.

She's so happy that I'm looking at anyone other than Damon that she's practically floating. It does feel kind of nice to have someone else occupy my thoughts for once, and to not have that weird tension hanging between me and Elena.

I tap my pen on my book, trying to focus, but in reality I know my mind's already compromised. I sigh and hit the 'call' button, then close my book and lay back on my mountain of pillows.

"Hello?" he answers, sounding like liquid sex.

"Hi, is this Jesse?" I ask.

"This is he. Who's calling?"

"Bonnie. Bennett. You nearly bulldozed me this morning."

"Oh yeah, Bonnie," he says with a smile in his voice. "I didn't think you'd actually call."

"Yeah, well I figured I'd call after I finished my homework."

As soon as the words leave my mouth, I want to smack my head against the bedpost. God, I haven't flirted in so long. I sound like such an utter nerd.

"You have perfect timing, then, because I just finished my homework, too. Organic chemistry. Fun stuff."

The fact that he doesn't tease me for my lameness and he even makes me feel better by talking about his own homework makes me wonder if it's too early for me to be in love with him.

"So, Bonnie Bennett," he says, "why haven't I seen you around before? I'm pretty sure I would have noticed you."

I pause for only a second and decide that if I'm going to try to move on from Damon, I might as well be up front. After all, Jesse is no stranger to the supernatural.

"I was dead," I say plainly.

He doesn't miss a beat when he says, "we've all been there."

I laugh, he laughs and just like that, it's easy. We talk about his classes, my classes and the beginner things like where we're from. We're still talking when Elena emerges from the shower and she gives me the thumbs up and winks. She gets on the phone with Damon while I continue my conversation with Jesse, and I have to say that I kind of like it.

Jesse and I continue to talk on the phone every day for the next two weeks. We text a lot during the day, have a little face time when I meet him outside of Elena's class, then talk at night. He works up the courage to ask me out on a date and I say yes. We agree to dinner and a movie and although I'm having a mild panic attack about it, Elena keeps reassuring me that dinner and a movie is the perfect starter date. The movie entertains us and then gives us something to talk about during dinner, in case the conversation gets stale.

It's the Friday night before our Saturday date and I'm just trying not to obsess over it. My phone rings and my heart leaps because I think it's Jesse. Then it leaps in a totally different way when I see Damon's name on the screen. We haven't seen each other since the wedding and even though I've been spending time with someone else, I miss him like crazy.

"Hey stranger," I answer.

"You're the stranger," he remarks. "Where the hell have you been? I haven't seen you in like a month."

"You're such an exaggerator. It's been two weeks."

"Three."

"Two and a half."

"Whatever," he says. "Come over here tomorrow. We'll have Bonnie and Damon day. I've got pancakes and that electronic Monopoly that makes you feel like you're a billionaire. I won't even cheat."

It would take a crow bar to remove the smile from my face but I felt a prick of guilt. "As inviting as that sounds, I actually have plans tomorrow."

"Plans?" he asks, like I had said it in a foreign language. "What plans?"

"Plans," I repeat.

"What plans could be more important than me?"

"Believe it or not, I do have a life outside of you," I tease.

"Details, Bennett. Spill."

I know he's not going to let it go until I tell him, but I feel so awkward saying the words. He's going to tease me, for one. And for another, despite everything, I still have feelings for him. Even if he doesn't know it.

But I bite the bullet and say, "a date."

You can hear a pin drop on the other end of the line and my palms break into a sweat.

"A date," he says.

"Yes."

"With who?"

"Oh my God, none of your business," I groan.

"Jeremy?" he asks.

"No."

"Some new guy?"

"Yes."

"What's his name?"

"Damon, seriously, it's none of your business."

"It _is_ my business. _ You're_ my business."

My heart tenses because I want him to mean that in the way I would mean it. But I know him well enough to know that he's just like a kid in a sandbox that doesn't want other people to play with his toys, even if he's not using them. I'm his witch, and probably his best friend, and he can't stand the thought of anyone taking even an iota of my attention off of him.

"I would say that's sweet, but you're not capable of sweetness," I say.

"I'm just trying to look out for you, Bon-Bon," he scoffs. "You have a history of liking douchebags."

"No shit," I mutter.

"Who is this guy anyway? Some moron you met at a frat party?"

I roll my eyes. "No, actually, I met him outside of a physics class because he's a teaching assistant there. He's a pre-med student with excellent grades and a great personality."

I can almost hear him seething over the phone.

"So he must be ugly, then."

And now my feelings are hurt.

"Right, because the only guy who would be interested in me would have to be ugly, right?" I say. He sounds like he's going to offer some half-assed apology but I cut him off. "Save it. You're a jackass."

I hang up, and he immediately calls back. I ignore him, and we do that three more times before I turn my phone off completely. My heart twists in that uncomfortable way that happens when someone you love hurts you. I've felt that way too often and I don't want to feel it anymore. I turn my phone back on and delete Damon's number. It doesn't really matter because I know his number my heart, but it's symbolic. I'm not going to let him get me down.

I continue to ignore him throughout the next day and definitely during my date with Jesse. I'm actually relieved how easy it is to forget Damon, until the text messages start rolling in:

_if you would answer your phone you would know that i'm trying to apologize_

_stop being so damn stubborn! you drive me crazy with that. i'm sorry, ok_

_are you on your date now? who is this fuck face you're with? what's his name? tell him your friend is a vampire and i will rip his legs off his body and make him eat them if he messes with you_

Okay, the last one makes me smile just a little bit. It's Damon's way of showing me that he cares and even though I want more that some brotherly protection bit, I guess I have to take what I can get.

_he's not a fuck face_, I respond. _stop texting me. it's rude_

_stop ignoring me_

_I'm on a date, you idiot!_

_are you gonna kiss him?_

_OMG_

_omg yes or omg no?_

_OMG STOP TEXTING ME OR I WILL PUT A SPELL ON YOU TO MAKE YOUR DICK FALL OFF_

The texts stop then, but I smile. Mostly because I won but also partly because we aren't fighting anymore.

The date with Jesse goes well. We don't kiss because he's a gentleman and I'm wary. I offer to hang out with Damon the next day but he's with Elena. It goes on like that for the next couple of weeks. Damon and I still talk and text every day, but we don't see each other. Every time he's free, I'm with Jesse. Every time I'm free, he's with Elena.

On our one-month "anniversary," which neither of us acknowledges because we haven't put a label on our relationship, Jesse comes over to my dorm and we snuggle up on my bed to watch Netflix on his computer. Elena's out and I don't expect her to come back, so when Jesse throws a blanket over us and nestles me against his body, I don't object. He smells as good as he looks and it's been so long since someone held me like this that I could actually cry.

I rest my head on his chest and enjoy the feeling of his hand gently caressing my back. It's nothing especially erotic but it's kind of turning me on. I look up at him to see him smiling softly at me and I go in for the kill. We've kissed before, made out too, but this turns into something deeper when our mouths are connected and our hands start exploring. He breaks away just long enough to put the laptop on the floor, then he crawls on top of me and we're at it again. It gets hot and heavy quickly, with sighs and moans and groping and thrusts. I'm so desperate for it, too. I need it. I need to feel that physical closeness with someone, even if it's not the person I really want.

Jesse takes his shirt off, then I do the same. I slip my hand behind my back and undo my bra and his eyes look hungry when my chest is bared to him. He goes to work immediately, taking one breast in his mouth and the other in his hand. I'm really feeling good, ready to hit the home run, when the door opens and Damon walks in. My head snaps to his direction and I shriek, causing Jesse to unlatch and throw the blanket over us.

Damon just stands there, like a statue, unmoving. He doesn't even blink. I'm too embarrassed and surprised to say anything, but luckily, Elena is right behind him and she is in the middle of saying something when she sees the situation.

"And then I called Caroline back and she said...oh my God!" she says. She quickly steps in front of Damon, who has yet to move, and says, "oh my God, guys, we are _so_ sorry. I left my phone here. I had no idea you would be in here. We're leaving now!"

Elena walks backwards to get her phone, keeping her back to us on the bed, and then she ushers Damon out and closes the door behind her. Jesse drops his head to my shoulder.

"I guess the mood is kinda ruined, huh?" he asks.

"Kind of," I admit. "Rain check?"

"Definitely."

The rain check never comes, though. He calls me but I always find an excuse to not see him. I know it's wrong but I feel bad about Damon. I've been calling and texting and he won't answer and somehow, even though it's completely irrational, I feel guilty about the whole thing. Like I cheated on Damon somehow.

I feel that way for a few days.

Then my guilt turns into frustration. Then my frustration turns into anger.

I don't understand why the hell Damon won't answer my calls or messages, and one day after an early day of classes, I get in my car and drive all the way to his house. I slam the door to my Prius and march right into the study, where he's reading and drinking. He doesn't acknowledge my presence, even though I _know_ he knows I'm there, and that only infuriates me more.

"What the hell is your problem?" I ask in something close to a yell.

He barely looks over the top of his book and dismisses me with a cut of his eyes.

"I don't have a problem," he says.

"Yeah, you obviously do. I've been calling and texting you and you won't respond to me. What's that about?"

"I was just trying not to interrupt your time with your boyfriend."

"Are you serious right now? What I do with Jesse doesn't have anything to do with my relationship with you."

"Apparently it does."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He doesn't answer and I am literally beginning to see red.

"Damon, I swear, if you don't start saying something to me _right now_, this friendship is over. You don't get to be mad that I'm spending time with someone else. You don't _own_ me."

He flips a page, then spares me a glance.

"I guess I just didn't realize that you were giving it away to the first guy you met."

And that does it. I lose every ounce of my cool and I summon my magic and rip the book out of his hands. I send it into the fireplace, not giving the slightest damn about whether it is a priceless classic or not. I walk closer to him, the fury building inside of me with each step.

"Fuck you."

He has the decency to look a little surprised when I say that.

"Fuck you. And fuck your crazy mother. And fuck your unstable, blood-addicted brother. Fuck Caroline. And fuck Elena. And fuck Jeremy. And fuck everyone else in this stupid waste of space town."

The words are coming out of my mouth as though they've been dripped in venom, and even I'm a little afraid of me.

"How _dare_ you imply that," I say. "You know that's not true. And even if it were, I can decide what to do with my own body. Here's a newsflash for you, Damon; I'm a woman. I have desires and needs just like your precious Elena and just like Caroline. Nobody ever says shit to them about the guys they're with, but let me show interest in an actual nice, smart, decent, available guy, and now I'm spreading my legs all over town?"

At this point, I'm in his face and I'm screaming and he's sitting there, taking it. Unmoved. Unflinching.

"What's the matter, Damon? Are you afraid that if I like someone outside of our incestuous little group that maybe I'll wise up and stop risking my life for you? That I won't continue to drop everything I'm doing just to be at your beck and call?"

I wait for him to respond but he doesn't. I can feel the tingle in my eyes and I hate that I'm an angry crier.

"You were supposed to be my friend," I tell him. "You were supposed to care about me. But you're just like the rest of them. I'm just a tool to you. I'm just the girl that's supposed to sit quietly in my room and be all alone while you and Elena fuck each other's brains out. Heaven forbid that I want some attention of my own."

He still won't speak and his eyes are cast down to the ground so that he won't have to look at my enraged face.

"You don't want to talk to me?" I ask. "You don't want to take my calls or be an adult and actually tell me how you feel? Fine. Your wish is granted. Consider this stupid little friendship over."

I turn and walk towards the door, feeling my heart break with every step I take that he doesn't follow me. I get to the door, secretly hoping that he will stop me, but he doesn't. I decide to put it all out there, since I never want to see him again. Might as well get it off my chest.

"You know the messed up thing about all this?" I ask, my voice now shaky with tears. "The whole time I was with him, I wished that it was you."

I leave it there and walk away. I don't turn around to see his face because I don't care how he looks or how he feels. I get in my car and drive back to my dorm, wiping hot tears the whole time. I replay every moment we ever had that would make me feel something other than hate for him, and I regret each one of them. I wish I had never tried to save his brother. I wish he had never held my hand. I wish we hadn't spent any time together, and I wish like hell that I didn't love him.

I'm in a fog when I get back to the room. I don't know what to do with myself. I can't concentrate enough to do school work. I'm too sad to watch TV. I just want to lie down and wallow, so that's what I do. I don't move for hours. I'm tired but when the sun goes down, my eyes won't close. I have to do a spell just to put myself to sleep.

When I wake up, I'm still alone in the room and disappointment sweeps over me. In some naive cavity in my heart, I hoped that Damon would show up. But he doesn't. I want to cry with someone and spill my heart out, but there's no one. Elena isn't an option. Caroline is gone. Grams is dead. There's really only one person left. So I call my mom and ask if I can stay with her for a couple of days. She's more than thrilled to play mommy and tells me to stay as long as I want. I pack a bag with some clothes and when I open the door to leave, I jump back because he's standing in the way.

Damon.

He looks almost as bad as I feel. His eyes are tired and his body slumps. I try to walk past him but he slides in front of me, blocking my way.

"Move," I direct.

"I want to talk to you," he says in a voice more gentle that I can ever recall him using.

"We don't have anything to talk about."

"Yes, we do."

"No, we don't. I told you that our friendship is over."

"Fine, it's over. I still have some things to say to you."

"I don't care what you have to say."

I try to move past him again, but he blocks me.

"Move, or I'll move you," I threaten.

"Give me ten minutes," he says. "Then you can go wherever the hell it is you're going and I'll leave you alone forever, if that's what you want."

"It's what I want," I say, even though I don't mean it.

"Okay."

I know that I should just give him an aneurysm and step over his crippled body, but I don't. I tentatively take a step back, and he comes inside and closes the door. He looks at my bag.

"Where are you going?" he asks.

"To see Abby."

"For how long?"

"I don't know."

"Where is she these days?"

I snap and say, "you didn't come here to talk about my mother. Just say what you have to say and be done with it."

I expect him to snap back at me and for us to argue like cats and dogs, but he doesn't and we don't. He looks down, wrings his hands, shifts on his feet. He clears his throat and finally talks.

"I was wrong," he declares. He looks at me then. "I was wrong to say that stuff I said about you. I didn't mean it. I was just mad, I guess. I wanted to hurt your feelings."

"Mission accomplished."

He rolls his eyes. "Look, Bonnie, I was wrong and I admit that. But you were wrong, too."

"How do you figure that?"

"All those things you said about me not caring about you and not being your friend. That was wrong. I _do_ care about you and I _am_ your friend."

"You have a funny way of showing it."

"Yeah, I get it. I'm stupid. I'm a moron most of the times, but you're always there to pull me back and honestly, you're the only person around here that I respect. I don't always show it or say it but the fact is you're better than the rest of us. You're good. And smart. And you have no idea how pretty you are and that makes you completely down to earth. Even though I have a dumb way of doing it sometimes, I want to protect you. Okay? That's all. That's why I was mean to you and why I said that stuff and I'm sorry."

My anger melts slightly after his confession, but it doesn't change anything. He cares about me, sure. I'm still the one with unrequited feelings and it still sucks.

"Fine."

That's all I say before I turn around and head for the door. I open it, only to have Damon speed up behind me and shut it again. I turn around, ready to yell, but I stop short when I realize that he has me pinned against the door, with his hands on either side of my head. I maintain my mad face even though it's hard to be angry when his scent is assaulting my nostrils and making me want him.

"I wasn't done," he says in something close to a growl.

"Then finish, so I can go," I growl back.

"You were wrong about something else, too," he says. "I don't want you to be with Jesse, or anyone else for that matter. But it's not because I think you won't be at my beck and call. It's not because I see you as an object."

"Then why is it?" I ask.

His fierce blue eyes fall to my lips and I am totally floored when he whispers, "because I'm jealous."

That is literally the last thing I expected him to say, and my mind is trying to make sense of it all.

"What?" I whisper.

He removes one hand from the door and strokes my cheek with his thumb.

"I want you for myself," he confesses. "I want you, Bonnie."

I shake my head and try to push him away.

"Stop it," I say. "This isn't funny. This is cruel, even for you."

"I'm not playing with you."

"If you wanted me, you would have stopped me from leaving. You would chased me down. You would have shown up in the middle of the night to tell me you feel the same way I do. But you didn't. You're only here now, saying what you think you have to say to get me to stay."

He half-smiles. "First of all, you've been watching way too many shitty Lifetime movies if that's how you think a man tells a woman that he loves her. And secondly, I didn't do any of those things because I figured I should break up with Elena first before I confessed my feelings to her best friend."

He's still stroking my cheek and it's only upon the mention of Elena that any of this seems real.

"You...you told her?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"What did she say?"

"She slapped me," he says as he tucks some hair behind my ear. "A few times. She yelled at me. Cried a little. But in the end, she said she saw it coming and told me that if I hurt you, she'll kill me herself. Not exactly an endorsement but it could have been worse."

I blink, mostly because I don't know what else to do. I've imagined this moment happening so many times and in so many different ways in my head, that now that it's here, I'm speechless.

"Say something," he says.

"I don't know what to say."

"Then do something."

"What..."

Before I can ask what he means, his lips are on mine. I'm shocked for a second, then I come to my senses and kiss him back. He takes my face in both his hands and shows me all the reasons that the rumors about his kissing skills are true. His tongue is the perfect pressure, perfect amount and I shiver a little as a moan creeps out. I can only imagine what he might do with that tongue on other areas of my body.

Our lips separate with a smack and he presses his forehead to mine.

"Stay," he says.

Although he sounds confident, the roundness of his eyes tells me that he's worried I won't stay. He's worried that all of this is too little, too late and that he's not enough. I want to tell him that he's more than enough, that he's everything to me. But I don't, because we're not like that. Not yet anyway. So I say the the one word that can convey how I feel to him, in just the right way.

"Okay."


End file.
